GB1371451A - Method and apparatus for fabricating laminated structural panels - Google Patents

Abstract

1371451 Making laminated panels WESTVACO CORP 20 June 1972 [22 July 1971] 28864/72 Heading B5N Structural panels are made from lengths L of material having a major strength plane and direction (e.g. double faced corrugated board, in which said direction is parallel with the corrugation axes and said plane is the plane of the board) by conveying them parallel to said plane and perpendicular to said direction, severing each length to form a series of strips 74, conveying the strips in a second direction (indicated by an arrow in Fig. 2) and applying adhesive to the exposed faces of selected strips, depositing the strips (see Fig. 3) in face-to-face juxtaposition on to a planar surface and conveying them therealong in a direction perpendicular to the major strength direction, and compressing the series of strips The double-faced corrugated board may be of paperboard, steel or aluminium and is produced as a continuous sheet by conventional means and is sliced into lengths L by a rotary cutter. The lengths are fed by gravity into a feed hopper from which they are forwarded singly for cutting (see Fig. 1, not shown). As shown (Fig. 2), the lengths are cut into strips 74 by a saw, jet or laser 22. Each group 75 of strips passes to a direction-changing station 30 equipped with two sets of conveyer lines 31a, 31b having lugs 32a/33a, 32b/33b for engaging the rear face of a strip group, and is forwarded to a conveyer 37 (Fig. 3). The forwarding of the groups 75 may be electrically co-ordinated with the forwarding of the lengths through the cutter and the operation of a restraining gate 25 (see Fig. 5, not shown). The line of strips 76 is directed on to a collimating table 44 by dogs 39a, 39b on the conveyer sheave and is pushed forward by an oscillating trip-hammer 42 which strikes each strip. Adhesive is applied to the strips by an applicator 100, but is omitted from strips 74a, 74b to enable production of a series of cores 77. Suitable adhesives are specified. The motion of the trip-hammer 42 may be rectified (to overcome the resilience of the board material) by providing a weighted strip 45 of a soft amorphous elastomer or a pile fabric brush, which also assists setting of the adhesive, and induces compressive forces in the series of strips and may be electrically co-ordinated (see Fig. 6, not shown) with the adhesive applicator 100 so that adhesive is omitted after application to a predetermined number of strips. The cores 77 may be faced with lengths 78a, 78b of double-faced corrugated board by adhesive.